the belief, feeling, or hope that all people should regard and treat one another as equals

Wells was exposed to teachings of tolerance and egalitarian principles in the Methodist church in his boyhood. Reinforced by the positive example of his parents, Bernice and Granville, who modeled respect for the inherent dignity of each person, Wells grew to become an unusually open-minded individual, comfortable with viewpoints, attitudes, and behaviors exhibited by other people. He believed fervently that all humans deserve respect and compassion, and valued diversity of all kinds. Although Wells thought that each person was a unique individual, they all belonged to a great human brotherhood.